SSE Enterprise Telecoms is helping Three upgrade is a back-end infrastructure to power your existing network and eventually support the deployment of 5G services.
The first phase of the partnership is already under way and you will see that SSE will bring fiber connections to the 20 cores of Three Data Centers in the UK.
Three have 10 million customers in the United Kingdom, adding 900,000 in the last 12 months, and their users consume an average of 6.8GB per month. This is much more than users on other networks, with Three often bragging about the data-centric nature of its infrastructure.
Three 5G
The operator has sought to densify its network with small cells and increase indoor coverage with Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi), voice over LTE (VoLTE) and low-end 800MHz spectrum. However, all these fronthaul technologies need to connect to the network, which is where SSE comes in.
"Our customers use up to 3.5 times more data than the rest of the UK, a demand that is only going to increase as we move forward to a 5G world," said Bryn Jones, CTO at Three UK. "The decision to select SSE Enterprise Telecoms to help us on this trip was simple, their knowledge and ambitions for connectivity in the UK were clear and made them the natural choice."
SSE Enterprise Telecoms operates a 14,000km fiber network throughout the United Kingdom, providing connectivity to companies and communications providers. It also makes use of the national fiber network of CityFibre to serve customers. The agreement with Three plays on its own plans to bring more data centers "strategically located" to its infrastructure.
"Our continued investment has made us the network provider to help UK companies unlock their growth potential," said Colin Sempill, CEO of SSE Enterprise Telecoms.
"As a connectivity provider, we understand how the comprehensive network infrastructure allows 5G technologies to reach their enormous potential, and we are excited about the opportunity to help Three UK on their journey to offer unrivaled experiences to their customers at the same time. We offer new connection options for us. "
The first 5G commercial networks are expected to arrive in the UK in 2020, with the four main operators securing a 3.4GHz spectrum that will boost the first tranche of services at the Ofcom auction earlier this year.
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